Handle and guard



B. SCHREIER HANDLE AND GUARD April 24, 1956 Filed March 1, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR BERNARD SCHREIER ATTORNEYS April 24, 1956 B. SCHREIER 2,742,745

HANDLE AND GUARD Filed March 1, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BERNARD SCHREJER U nit d The invention described herein'may be manufactured and'used by or for the Government'of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

.This invention relates to a guard against injury and particularly to a handle adapted to' hold a sharpening tool and so devised that any ac'cidenta'l movementof the instrument being sharpened'will'not result in injury to the operator. l Y

The primary object of the invention is to provide a guard that will protect the operator from injury.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tool holder which will firmly hold the sharpening tool while the operator sharpens the edge of an instrument.

A more specific object of theinvention is to provide a sharpening tool holder with" a plate or guard'at one end of said holder to protect the hand I of the operator in the event the instrument being 'sharpenedslips, by allowing it to strike against the'g'uard plate. t

And another object of the invention is to allow the guard to be adjusted to accept sharpening tools of various dimensions.

Other object and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily, appreciated asth'efs a me becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 discloses the sharpening tool holder of the invention in perspective,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the tool holder and is taken substantially on line 22 of Figure 3.

Fig. 3 is a rear end view of the invention,

Fig. 4 is an end view of a modification of the invention,

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5--5 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is an end view of a further modification of the invention, and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged section of the adjustable clamp member of Fig. 6 and is taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

In the garment industry, cloth is cut by means of vertically reciprocating knives. Also, many other industries require the use of tools with a sharp edge, such as knives, scissors, or other similar instruments. These frequently lose their keen edges and as a result, they must be sharpened to a fine edge again. These knives are sharpened by hand, as by holding a Carborundum stone in one hand and passing the knife blade held in the other hand over the Carborundum. A long or inaccurate stroke of the knife blade will overshoot the Carborundum and injure the hand. The guard of the invention is designed to prevent such injuries.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, one form of the handle and protective guard is designated generally at 12. Handle 12 comprises two parallel channel members 14 and 16 adapted to receive a Carborundum stone generally rectangular in cross section (not shown) between the parallel arms 18 extending towards each other, as shown in Figure 3.

Handle 12 is hingedly secured at 20 by suitable fasten- I ment with the sharpening tool means.

2,742,745 Patented Apr. 24, 1956 ing means, such as rivets 22 to a guard plate 24. Guard plate 24 is of larger diameter than grasping handle 12 and may be of any shape. A central aperture or slot 26 is provided in guard 24 and is large enough to allow a Carborundum stone to extend through from the handle end. Thus, a small section of the Carborundum is grasped between channels 14 and 16 with the majorportion extending through the s1ot26 and beyond the plate 24 to provide the working surface for a knife blade to be sharpened.

, The combined width of the arms 18 is preferably less than the corresponding width of the sharpening tool or stone received therebetween. However, the width of slot 26 is greater than that of the stone. Thus, when members 14 and 16 are pressed together by the hand of the user, they firmly engage the sharpening tool at all times. If desired, the interior surface of channels 14 and 16 may be roughened to firmly hold the Carborundum.

The use of the device is readily apparent. A sharp ening tool extends through slot 26 with the rear section received in, and held by handle 12. A knife or scissor to be sharpened is stroked over the freely extending portion. If the knife blade slips, no injury can occur, since guard 24 effectively provides protection.

Figs. 1 to 3 illustrate a form of the invention used when only one type'of sharpening tool is to be used. Then it is only necessary to provide a fixed holder capable of receiving and holding the specific tool. However, it is often desirable to provide a guard that is capable of being adjusted to hold tools of difierent widths. In this instance, the .form'shown in Figs. 4 and 5 or that in Figs. 6 and 7 could be used. I Figs. 4 and 5 disclose a tool holder similar in construction to the first'form and includes a pair of handle mem-. bers ,30 and 32 in opposed relation on a guard plate 34. A suitable aperture 36 in plate 34 provides entry of the tool. Hinges 38 are secured at 40 to the handle members and are provided withrivets or studs 42 extending through slots 44 in the guard plate 34. v Adjustment o'f'handle members 30 is accomplished by lateral movement on the flat surface of guard plate 34. This is possible because rivets 42, secured to hinges 38, slide in slots 44. No positive closing force is required, since the pressure exerted by the hand of the operator on the handles and against the sharpening tool retains said tool in fixed position in the device. The Width of opening 36 is substantially equal to the extreme outward positions of handle members 30 and 32. The handle members are moved to these positions in slots 44, after which a sharpening tool is inserted through opening 36. The handle members are slid together until the tool is firmly gripped.

If positive closing pressure is desired, the form illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 may be used. In this modification, handle members 50 and 52 are provided on guard plate 54. Plate 54 is provided With opening 56 to allow the sharpening tool to extend therethrough. Handle 52 is fixed to plate 54 by means of a hinge 58 and rivets 60, in a manner similar to Figure 1.

Handle member 50 is not provided with a hinge, but is slidably held in grooves 62. Slots 64 provide tracks for pins or extensions 66 extending horizontally from the bottom of member 50. Member 50 rides in grooves 62 by virtue of leg extensions 68. Tension means such as compression springs 70 are retained in grooves 62 and engage leg members 68 to constantly urge member 50 towards member 52.

When a sharpening tool is to be inserted, handle member 50 is slid back in grooves 62 against the force of springs 70. The tool is inserted through opening 56 and handle member 50 is released to slide into engage- Guard plate 54 functions to prevent injury if the knife being sharpened slips.

A convenient gripping or clamping tool is thus provided which is capable of preventing injury to the operator. The combined handle and guard member is inexpensive to manufacture.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

l. A combined tool handle and guard of the class described, comprising a handle, a guard plate hingedly secured to said handle, a cutout portion in said guard plate providing an opening, said handle comprising a pair of opposed U-shaped members providing a channel therebetween said channel being of an overall width slightly less than the width of the cutout portion, whereby a sharpening tool is adapted to extend through said cutout portion and into the channel, to be engaged by said handle in order not to slip when in use.

2. A combined tool handle and guard of the class described, comprising a guard plate having a cutout portion providing an opening to receive a sharpening tool, slots in said guard plate, a sectional handle adapted to grip said tool, and hinge means secured to said handle and slidable in said slots to permit adjustment between the handle section.

3. A tool of the class described, comprising a guard plate having a cutout portion providing an opening to receive a sharpening tool, tracks in said guard plate, and a sectional handle, at least one of the members of said sectional handle being movable relative to the guard plate including means riding in said tracks, whereby the handle is adjustable to receive sharpening tools of different diameters.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said tracks include slots, extension pins on said movable handle member extending into said slots, and tension means engaging said handle member to urge it toward the other handle member.

5. A tool handle and guard comprising a guard plate having a cutout portion providing an opening to receive a tool, slots in said guard plate, a sectional handle comprising opposed U-shaped members providing a channel therebetween whereby a tool is adapted to extend through said cutout portion and into the channel, hinge means secured to said handle, and fastening means extending from said hinge means into said slots to allow lateral adjustment between said handle sections.

6. A tool handle and guard comprising a guard plate having a cutout portion providing an opening to receive a tool, grooves in said guard plate, a sectional handle, at least one of the members of said sectional handle including depending leg members extending in said grooves and track means connected with said grooves, said leg members riding in said track means, whereby the handle is adjustable to receive tools of different diameters.

7. The combination of claim 6, wherein said tracks include horizontal slots, horizontal extension pins on the free ends of said depending leg members extending into said slots, and tension means engaging one of said handle members to urge it towards the other handle member.

8. The combination of claim 7, wherein said sectional handle comprises opposed U-shaped members providing a channel therebetween, said channel being of an overall width slightly less than the width of the opening, said tension means being secured to said guard plate and to said depending leg members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 221,540 Dow Nov. 11, 1879 290,367 Sperry Dec. 18, 1883 1,088,986 Hawks Mar. 3, 1914 1,352,888 Gallagher Sept. 14, 1920 1,969,611 lessen Aug. 7, 1934 1,997,183 Rottler Apr. 9, 1935 2,009,389 Anderson July 30, 1935 2,377,953 Matton June 12, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS 395,738 Germany June 24, 1923 600,810 France Feb. 16, 1926 605,165 Germany Oct. 25, 1932 u at-4 

